Jazz, Flûte ‘n Boogie.
I don’t mean the instrument. I mean the bubbly.
A lovely evening was spent last night at Flûte Bar’s Gramercy location on East 20th in Manhattan. I was lured there by the featured musicians, Rob Duguay’s Low Key Trio, but I was enchanted by the full package.
The ambiance is romantic, with warm candle-lit mood lighting, red-accented decor and inviting couches set about, tucked away in nooks and crannies, or gathered in groups for social consumption. Art lines the walls and champagne bottles sit side by side behind the bar, and along the high ceilings, accenting the beautiful architecture of the building itself. This is one of three locations; the other two being in Midtown Manhattan and Paris, France. According to their site,
“Flûte was created by founder and owner Hervé Rousseau, in 1997, in a space on West 54th Street NYC that was once home to the Prohibition-era speakeasy, Club Intime. A native Parisian, Hervé was inspired by his experience in the wine industry to combine New York’s unparalleled cocktail culture with a French attitude towards champagne, where no one waits for a special occasion to pop open a bottle of bubbly.”
Why wait? Couples nuzzled face a face, taking in the scene, flûte or glass in hand, while other groups of eager faces sat in crews, partially chatting but trying to conceal their animation and pay attention to the men of the hour.
Mr. Rob Duguay shared the “stage” with Charles Pulliam II on the congos and Willie Applewhite III on the trombone. The three of them together brought the perfect level of groove and jazzy know-how to the ambiance of Flûte. It was amazing to watch Duguay’s leadership smoothly deliver the sound that some took as background to their sexy soiree, while others watched intently. In fact, many watched intently, as a community follows Duguay’s talent and guest after guest approached him to thank him or say hello.
If no special occasion is needed to pop the bubbly, and the jazz sounds like that, I’ll be back to Flûte on many a Wednesday evening.
